Torn
by sydneyelainee
Summary: "'I'm your rock, just as you are mine. Ya got that' I nodded." Jemma's Niall Horan's cousin and is best friend to Harry Styles. Here's short story about a friend in need.


This imagine is for Katniss345

_**Imagine preference**: Main character is Niall's cousin and Harry's __best friend who is in an abusive relationship. Harry ends up rescuing the main character from that relationship._

_**Main character**: Jemma Horan_

_**Age**: 20_

_**Height**: 6'1"_

_**Looks**: Brunette Jennifer Lawrence _

* * *

I stared back at myself into the dirty mirror of my bathroom apartment. I had dark brown hair that was a mess on top of my head. It draped around me like a curtain, hiding what I did not want to be seen. I sighed, taking in the sight of my tired eyes. Under them, were circles because I suffered from insomnia. My hands shuffled around in the bathroom cabinet, looking for my foundation to cover up the marks on my face. They weren't marks from pimples, they were bruises...bruises left by my boyfriend, Roy Miller. Roy is irascible sometimes and has a bad temper. However, sometimes he can't control that. I know he does not mean to hit me. _Accidents_ happen, even if they do happen three or four times in a row.

Roy was heavily built and stood at a menacing height of 6'3. He always wore fitted shirts to accentuate his muscles and flaunt them. His eyes were dark and the color of mud. They were always steeled into a bitter hardness and I used to be able to change that. I used to bring lightness and happiness to those eyes. I didn't know what changed. Roy liked to control. It gave him satisfaction. If he wasn't in control or if things didn't go his way, situations went sour. In most cases, I always took on the backlash. It's how I ended up with these bruises.

The guys never really liked Roy and always kept him at distance. In their eyes, he was possessive and I didn't mind that one bit. It meant that he cares for me and he was protective. Sure his protectiveness got a little rough sometimes, but it was all for good reasons. Right?

Niall would always be the one to worry over me, even though I'm the older cousin. He worried over me more than my own parents—who happily let me move in with my boyfriend at the age of eighteen and that was two, maybe even three years ago. Anyhow, Niall did not need to fret over me. But he would anyway and try to pry something out of me, anything. I couldn't do that—not with the way I was living. He wouldn't approve and neither would my best friend, Harry.

Harry was always the one to see right through me, since the day I met him at The X Factor show. I had met him in the parking lot and I was with Niall. I, being the unfortunately tall and clumsy human that I am, proceeded to run right into the curly haired boy. He brushed off my embarrassing moment, insisted it was his fault, and introduced himself. And for those few weeks I hadn't seen my cousin, I thought about those beryl eyes, sparkling with amusement.

Over the course of two years, I had gotten to know the lads of One Direction; Harry in particular. I had gotten closer to him than I did Niall and that was saying something. Harry was often portrayed by the media as cheeky and inappropriate, which he was wholeheartedly. When the music stopped and the press wasn't on him, however, I saw him in a different light.

Harry was goofy and sensitive—well around the boys and his friends and me at least. He was easy going and fun to around. He didn't wear that frown he sometimes wore in front of the paparazzi. He was free and I loved that about him.

As well as I knew Harry, he knew me. He knew there was something wrong in my life yet he didn't know what. He could see the struggle and the hurt dwelling in my eyes and didn't need to say a word. He knew I was hurting and it hurt him that I didn't tell him why. But if anyone peeked into my apartment late at night, they would see why.

"Hurry up in the damn bathroom." Roy pounded on the bathroom's small door, making it rattle because the brute force of his fist. "Jemma, get your ass out here _now_."

I had only applied concealer to half of my face. The bruise on my cheek was half covered and my eyes still looked tired. If I didn't hurry up things wouldn't be pretty.

His face was scrunched up in annoyance when I opened the door. He shoved me out of the way after his hard glare was enough and stormed into the tiny bathroom. I tried not to dwell on the mistreatment of myself and moved toward the bedroom where I had laid out my clothing for the day.

Today, Harry and Niall were coming over to take me bowling at Lucky Strikes. We hadn't seen each other in two weeks, which wasn't normal for us. Only thing I had to worry about was Roy because he didn't know I was hanging out with them on this day. That's another thing. Roy isn't too fond of my cousin and his friends either. He gets too protective when they're around, which was why he was on a need-to-know basis.

I put on a pair of worn jeans and a tank top. I sighed and glanced down at my arms, looking at the bruising indentations of fingers left on my arms and decided to put on a jacket despite the fact is was 87 degrees outside. _Better safe than sorry._ Making my way through the littered rooms, I grabbed my keys and slipped out the front door praying and hoping my boyfriend hadn't heard me.

The heat of the afternoon hit me like a slap to the face. It was unbearably humid outside and the sun was at its highest. The summer's day was in full swing with birds chirping; children playing at the park across the street; and the deep and husky laugh of an amused friend.

"Are ya just gonna stand there all day, Jemma?" I could practically hear the smile in his voice as he leaned out the window of his Range Rover, which he let Niall drive today.

"I was just enjoying the atmosphere around me," I told the boy as I climbed into the backseat of the expensive car. "There's no harm in that."

"Never said there was, mate." He gave me a toothy grin and Niall pulled away from the curb. "You ready to have your ass handed to you today?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "C'mon, Harry. You know you suck at bowling."

"I've been practicing! Ask Niall—"

Niall vivacious titter bounced around in the car. "Sorry man. I've got to agree with Jemma." My blonde cousin shook his head and looked toward his friend as he pulled up to a red light. "Last time you threw the ball so hard it flew into another lane and knocked someone's ball off course."

I leaned towards the back of Harry's seat with my mouth slightly open in shock. "Did you seriously do that?"

"There were a lot of variables to consider. For instance, Lux—"

"Was with Lou on the seats behind you," Niall stated, cutting him off. He glanced over at Harry, who had folded his arms with a pout settled on his lips and was looking out the window. Niall began to laugh again and I joined him.

"Harry, it's okay you can't bowl."

"Says the girl who always strikes out," he grumbled.

"Oh lighten up."

…

The rest of the car ride was filled with fun and laughter until we got to the bowling alley. Our server was already waiting for us when we arrived and had our lanes step up along with music and food. The day commenced without a hitch. Niall and I swept the floor with Harry. Harry managed to slip onto the runway three times.

"Oof!" _Make that four times._

"Jemma, tell your lad to have more control over his feet."

Harry staggered off the tiled floor and balanced himself on the black marbled table next to him. "My feet are fine," he said, swinging around to face the both of us. In the process, his hand knocked my glass of coca cola onto me. He winced. "But obviously my hands aren't. Sorry, Jem."

I waved it off and began to unzip my jacket. "It's fine. I can just take off the jacket." It slid off and into the chair I was sitting on. I stood and slung it on the back of the chair. When I turned around, Niall and Harry were staring at me. "What's the matter?" I asked quizzically. They're gazes drew to my arms, which were covered in bruises. I folded my arms behind my back, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes. "What are you guys staring at?"

"Jemma," Niall started as he came over to me, "where'd you get those?"

I fidgeted casting my glances from Niall to the floor. "I…ran into my kitchen counter and a door this morning," I lied, easily stammering over my words. _Idiot! The kitchen counter? A door? Really? _They'd never seen my bruises before because I'd always been careful to not let anyone see. Their eyes flickered with concern and their faces held anger and worry.

Harry crouched down to get a closer look at my injuries. He grasped at a marking on my right arm, looking closely at the purple and blue indentations that were clearly fingers. "It doesn't look like a door did this—or a counter." He released his gentle hold and looked up me with his green eyes. They were deep and filled with some emotion I couldn't place. "Now why don't you tell us what really happened." I jerked my blue ones away from his, fearing I'd spill my secret right then and there.

"That's what really happened," I mumbled. Harry put a comforting arm around me.

"If there's something happening to you, ya know you can tell us right?" _No._

"Yeah, of course."

The boy next to me took off his fitted cap, ran his fingers through his messy dyed blonde and brunette hair; and released a deep sigh before slapping his hands down on his thighs. "Look, obviously, you're not telling us something and it has to do with those bruises. And Harry here is too sensitive to you to ask what we're both thinking here. The only logical reason I can think of as to why you have those bruises is that dickhead of a boyfriend you have is beating you. Am I right?"

"Niall!"

I glared at Niall, vexingly trying to shove back on my wet jacket. "Roy is not beating me and he isn't a dickhead. Don't say that about him." I grabbed my phone off the table.

"I'll say whatever I want about him because that's how we all feel and if he's hurting you I won't hold my tongue nor will I stand back and let this continue to happen to you."

"Do whatever you want Niall. I'm done here."

…

After I'd left Lucky Strikes Bowling, I'd walked back home. Harry and Niall hadn't come after me. They probably wanted me to have some time to myself to cool off…or possibly use that time to investigate what was happening to me. They wouldn't come up with anything, however. I hadn't told anyone, not my mom or my sister. They only person who knew of the life I was living was Roy and he was the one inflicting the damage.

It was a little after six in the evening when I had arrived to my crusty apartment. I opened the door to reveal a darkened and quieted home with the occasional creak of my shoes against the floor. As I closed the door behind me, the thumping steps of the man I was living with could be heard throughout the small apartment. _Roy was home and that was bad._ He was supposed to be at work. Before I could fiddle with trying to get the door open, my back was roughly pushed against it. Roy pressed his thick muscled forearm against my windpipe and raised me off my feet, slightly cutting off my air. I gasped for breath. With each shallow gasp, his arm pressed harder against my throat. The pain on my neck was almost too much to bear.

"Where the in the _fuck_ have you been?" I could barely cry out, let alone speak.

I clawed at his hands, taking in rapid breaths. "Bowl…" He pressed harder against my throat before letting me drop to my knees. I coughed and gagged which each breath and my hands held the hurting part of my neck.

"Now, tell me who you were with today." I couldn't respond due my lack of being able to breath. I looked up as Roy chuckled and circled me like a hawk. His hand reached down for me and snagged a tuff of my hair. A sharp cry released from my lips as he dragged me across our floor by my hair. My head slammed into the ground making me collapse. He pressed his foot against the side of my foot. I could smell the dirt and grime.

"Now, I'm not going to ask you again."

"Niall. Harry." I hissed out. He took his boot off my face and I knew not to believe it was over.

His boot connected with the center of my midsection. A scream tore its way from my throat before I could stop myself. He repeated the action, ignoring my cries, screams, and pleas to stop. "What did I tell you about hangin' with them? Huh? What'd I tell you?"

I whimpered as he stopped his brutality against my body and curled up on the floor. I didn't answer Roy and just listened to the heavy breathing coming from his chest. "Why aren't you fucking answering me?" He crouched down and pushed his large knee into my stomach. He pressed harder when I didn't answer. I just screamed. He slapped his hand over my mouth as a few knocks on the door sounded around the apartment.

A voice followed the knocks. "Jemma?" It was Harry's. He knocked louder this time. "Jemma!"

Roy roughly moved me so that I was hidden behind the kitchen counter. I could hear myself groaning at the rough movement of my body as he got to answer the door. "What do you want?" Roy asked, his frame blocking the entire door so that Harry wouldn't be able to see inside.

"We want to see Jemma." _Oh no. Niall was here too?_

"She's not home."

A long moan slipped from my lips. "What was that?"

"Harry," I croaked.

"Jemma!" I coughed, feeling the pain travel up my midsection. I felt lightheaded. I groaned again, blinking my eyes heavily as my vision started to blur. "Roy, let me through."

"I don't have to. Now, _leave_." I blinked again and started to see black spots in my vision. Around me I heard angry grunts and curses and yelling. I couldn't tell what else happened as darkness overcame me and my pain.

…

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

"Can someone shut off my alarm please?" I mumbled. I moved against my bed feeling scratchy linen instead of my soft sheets. Someone off to my right chuckled. Slowly, I opened my tired eyes to come face to face with Harry, who was now sporting a blue and purple swollen shut left eye. His lip was busted and he had a cut on his cheek. My sapphire eyes widened at the sight of him.

"After you passed out last night, I tried to save you." _Last night? What happened last—oh._ It all came flooding back like the hellish nightmare it was. I disobeyed my boyfriend and he almost beat my to a pulp—and Harry. Harry continued with the story having no knowledge of my inner revelation. "Niall called emergency services and went downstairs to show them the way up. I handled Roy and it was no easy feat. He packs quite a punched."

He shook his head as a small laugh escaped him. "But enough about me. After forces and help got there, you were hauled off to the hospital to be treated. Niall and I watched the douchebag get arrested."

"He not a—," I stopped myself short and shook my head at my defensiveness. "Sorry. Force of habit." I peered at Niall who was sleeping on the sofa behind Harry and brought my gaze back to him. Harry had this tender look on his face. One that was confused and hurt.

"What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me you were suffering like this? I knew something was wrong and I could always see it in your eyes. But, you wouldn't tell me. Why?" He grasped his hands in mine.

"I…" I looked down at our joined hands. Small, traitor tears slid down my face. "I was scared," I whispered.

"Of Roy?"

I nodded, still not meeting my best friend's eyes. "I was scared of what would happened to me if I told. I was scared of what would happen to whomever I told. I didn't want anyone to suffer the same fate I had. I wanted to suffer alone."

"You wouldn't have to suffer alone." Harry placed his finger under my chin and tilted my head so I would look at him. His green eyes were filled to the brim with warmth and comforted me much more that I thought possible. "Don't ever think you have to do tough things alone. Not only do you have the boys and Niall by your side—you have me. I'm your rock, just as you are mine. Ya got that?"

I nodded, and brought him into a fierce embrace. His warm lips pecked the center of my temple. "And as soon as you get released from this germy place, you're moving out of your dirty apartment and living with Niall."

I smiled with delight. "Fine by me."

* * *

**_A/N: _**_Please feel free to leave reviews. I've never written a fictional piece not involving the supernatural so this was very hard. Don't go easy on my though. I'd love for your opinion. Did I do good Katniss345?_


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